Saturday, November 29, 2008

Center yourself in gratitude

One of the best emotions to cultivate alongside a positive attitude is a feeling of gratitude and appreciation. In fact, these emotions are of the highest vibrational frequency and by virtue of the Law of Attraction, you attract more of what you are already thankful for.

Today being Thanksgiving Day (forth Thursday of November) in the United States, let us not let this day pass without any expressions of gratitude and appreciation. Even if some of you, including myself, do not come from the States, I believe that there is still every reason to celebrate!!

Here are 7 ways to center yourself in gratitude:

1. Think of gratitude as an energy. Giving thanks is not about feeling it for a day. It is an energy that you exude every moment every single day. It is a positive uplifting sense of who you are and what you have.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.— Melodie Beattie

Gratitude as an energy that attracts more of the same. You keep your energy vibration high when you are happy for what you are already blessed with. The Universe/God “rewards” you with even more of the physical realities that resonate in the same vibrational frequency.

Consider this simple analogy . When you receive a gift from a friend, you say thank you. The look in your eye and gasp of delight is priceless as you open up your present. Your friend makes a note, in awareness of how happy he or she has just made you feel. He or she will intend to do buy you other gifts that can bring about the same look of joy.

The reverse happens if you do not show appreciation of what you have been given. Your friend may not feel incentivized to buy you any more presents.

2. Realise that you have a choice. Having the right attitude towards life makes a great deal of difference of how you live and it is a choice that you can make. You can have a positive attitude about the events in your life or you can come from a place of misery and complaints. Gratitude and appreciation are positive emotions that come with adopting a great attitude!

In a nutshell, even if things don’t go your way, realize that you can choose to feel positive. Instead of wallowing in self pity and lamenting about your circumstances, look at challenges and obstacles as learning opportunities. The tide will turn eventually.

“When flowing water meets with obstacles on its path, a blockage in its journey, it pauses. It increases in volume and strength, filling up in front of the obstacle and eventually spilling past it….”— I Ching.

3. Refrain from feeling jealous about other people’s fortunes. When you do so, you are only emphasizing on your lack. The Universe responds by continuing to give you situations of scarcity.

Instead, be appreciative of the example set by others; that they can create the experience that you would like to have. Hence, if they can do it, know that you can create the same, if not better, too.

4. Expressing gratitude does not have to be over anything BIG. A sense of gratitude may not be for anything that is materially Big. It can be as simple as being thankful to the Creator for a new and beautiful dawn, for being able to witness the smile on your kids’ face, and the golden opportunity to pick yourself up from adversities.

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.— Buddha

5. Practice a gratitude grounding exercise. If feeling appreciative and grateful is not something that you are attuned to, then consider doing a gratitude grounding exercise. Here are some steps:

- In a gratitude journal, jot down thoughts of appreciation for your blessings. For whatever you are intending for, write down about how grateful you are, as if you have already received your answer or desire.

- Accept, allow, and act on any inspirations that come to you, moving you from “what you want” to become “what you are or have”.

- Be alert to any instances of your prayers being heard. Sometimes it is not that our dreams are not met but that they are being answered in an unexpected way. Be happy for all your answered prayers.

It may seem tough at first to practice being thankful for things that you would like to have but do not have currently. However, with a little practice and reflection, you will gradually create a new life experience for yourself.

“Whatever it is you are feeling is a perfect reflection of what is in the process of becoming.”— Abraham Hicks

“You get exactly what you are FEELING.” — Abraham Hicks

6. Live in the Now. If you find yourself often living in the future, then it is hard to feel any sense of appreciation for the many blessings you have today. Perhaps your attitude has been one of “I am only happy when ________ takes place”.

If it is really the case, then make a change. Practice awareness of the beauty and abundance around you right this current moment. Feel joy with every single breath that you take. Experience its fullness as you taste the sweet nectar in nature’s drink.

7. Surround Yourself With Positive People. You will obviously find it a challenge to feel positive and grateful, if you surround yourself with friends who are whiners, negative and depressed. Hence, make it a point to mix with positive and uplifting people. Spend time with spiritually evolved or joyful people who can love and support you in healthy ways. They will encourage you in your self growth and applaud you when you have attained success.

Don’t know any of such friends? Well, look online. Hang around this blog for instance. The commenting section to the posts of this site is frequently visited by the likes of many happy, positive, strong and encouraging bloggers, coaches and spiritual mentors. Do visit their sites for a sprinkling of their wisdom, insights and inspiration!!

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.— Albert Schweitzer

Would you like to take the opportunity now to express your gratitude to anyone? Do say a word of thanks for the light that you have become because of another person’s support. If you have any thoughts on gratitude and appreciation, also feel free to share them in the comments below.

Happy Thanksgiving

I would like to also express my gratitude to all my readers for your warmth and encouragement. I have been having a great time publishing jokes, stories and quizzes on this site and it is nice to know how much you’ve enjoyed them too!! For those who celebrate this day, have a Happy Thanksgiving with your family and friends!!